Idle Gossip
by Skate-815
Summary: Leia overhears Han and other rebels talking in the mess hall one evening. Set in Hoth, pre ESB.


_**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone. I used to write quite a lot of TV fanfic back in the day but it's been a long time since I've written anything. I'm a bit rusty, but I've recently gotten back into Star Wars in a big way, and I thought I'd jump back in._

_This is a one shot, set in Hoth before the start of Episode 5. Please let me know what you think._

**Idle Gossip**

Leia walked through the snowy corridors of the Rebel Base, entirely absorbed by her datapad. She was attempting to plan the next shipment of food and drinks for the Hoth base. As it was, supplies weren't exactly low, but a lot of Leia's time and effort revolved around the logistics of keeping a couple of hundred rebels fed, clothed and relatively happy.

There was an unfortunate lack of available pilots, which was greatly complicating the situation. A failed mission a few weeks back had left a few dead, more injured, and moral dangerously low. The obvious choice for this particular food run was Han, given his experience in getting large amounts of cargo past watchful eyes. But he had just returned from a three week long scouting mission, and something in her was reluctant to send him away again quite so quickly.

She stopped in her tracks as she heard an outburst of laughter from the mess hall. The men tended to congregate there in the evenings, often playing cards late into the night. However, tonight's activities seemed particularly raucous, and she paused, curious to learn what all the noise was about.

"Look, I'm telling ya… I've about as much chance as the rest of you." Han's voice was clear above the general rabble. Usually he revelled in being the centre of attention, but tonight she heard a vague sense of annoyance in his tone. Being careful to remain out of sight, Leia drew closer to the doorway, datapad forgotten.

"Come on Solo. You're in the inner circle. You must have some sway." Mathis, one of Alderaanian men she had known and disliked for a number of years replied. He was clearly the source of Han's aggravation.

"Believe me, I miss a good strong drink as much as the rest of you," Leia could tell Han was trying his best to keep the group on side, "But even the old Solo charm won't get you any extra wine rations this month."

Ah so that was the problem. Leia wasn't much of a drinker, but she was aware that a lot of the men would be. Still, the rebellion was essentially a charity case, and they struggled to receive the meagre portions they did from various benefactors throughout the galaxy. Han was correct in saying that nothing any of them could do would be able to get them anything else to drink.

"Has anyone caught any of the Smashball scores when they were offplanet?" Han made a valiant attempt at changing the topic that seemed to partially work. Wedge instantly piped up with an anecdote about his favourite team, while a voice Leia didn't recognise jokingly argued. She was just about to move away from the doorway and continue with her work, when Mathis spoke again.

"You might as well tell us Solo… What's the Ice Princess like in the sack?" A flush crept up Leia's neck at the words. She knew, of course, that gossip was inevitable, especially with cramped conditions like this, but hearing it first hand was another thing entirely. And the use of that horrid nickname made it all the worse.

"Watch it Mathis." Han's voice was quiet, but sharp. Leia debated walking into the room and taking matters into her own hands. Mathis really was a piece of work. Even when she was a girl, she'd always disliked his crude manner and loud mouth. It was unfortunate that time didn't seem to have changed that.

"She is the monarch of your home world." Han added, as all other conversation in the group ceased, "Show some respect." Leia blinked, surprised at his response. She wasn't sure what she'd expected Han to say, but it wasn't that. Of all the men on base, he was probably the least deferential.

"That's not a denial Han." Wedge's voice was jovial, clearly trying to defuse the situation with humour.

"You're all being ridiculous." A fourth voice she didn't recognise chimed in, "Everyone knows the Princess has it bad for Skywalker." Leia was rooted to the spot, feeling absolutely mortified. Walking away now would be the only sensible course, before she heard everyone else's opinions on the matter, but morbid curiosity prevented her from moving an inch.

"Poor kid." Mathis remarked, poison dripping from his words, "He probably doesn't realise a bitch like that will suck the life right out of him." She barely had time to process that one before a loud smack sounded. Half a second later, she heard the thump of a body hitting the floor. She risked a glance into the room and saw Han on his feet, glaring down at Mathis' unconscious form.

"Anyone else got anything to say?" Han's tone was dark, and the remainder of the room was absolutely silent. When it became clear no one was going to speak, he added, "Good. I'm going to bed."

Leia instantly sprang back from the mess hall door and resumed slowly walking down the corridor, hoping Han would believe she'd just been passing by. A few seconds later, she heard the doorway swing shut behind Han and sounding surprised, he called her name

"Leia." It was very unusual for him to avoid using nicknames. She wondered if he too had had enough of people referring to her as the Ice Princess for one evening. She spun on her heel and attempted to look natural

"Good evening Han. I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece." This was their first meeting since he'd returned from his scouting mission. He simply nodded in response, and despite herself, she drew closer to him. It was plain to see his knuckles were swollen and red. She wondered if it was better to mention it, or to avoid bringing it up altogether. Too late, he caught her looking at his hand, so she had to ask

"What happened to your hand?"

"Hurt it repairing the Falcon." He lied easily. She accepted his excuse without further comment, but instead quickly knelt down and picked up a handful of snow from the ground. She compressed it tightly into a ball, and reaching for his hand, pressed it gently against his knuckles.

"It'll help with the swelling." she explained, feeling oddly shy.

"Thank you." The uncharacteristic frown he was wearing began to fade a little, and she saw the beginnings of his usual smirk start to form. Behind him, she began to hear movement in the mess hall and knew she'd rather be gone before Mathis made an appearance.

"Goodnight Captain Solo." she simply said.

"Princess" he nodded, and without any further comment, she spun on her heel and walked swiftly towards her quarters.


End file.
